Wings of Madness
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Madness is like gravity. All it takes is a little push. And he was pushed too far. Cursed with eternal life, driven mad by pain and loneliness, a wayward shinobi finds himself returning once more in the place of his birth. But this time its not a war he needs to worry about-or even the tenuous line of his own sanity. Its the fate of 108 little birds! NarutoxHaihanexharem!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlmen, good news and bad news. Good news first. I'm on the mend. Even better, My grandpa's all but recovered from congestive heart failure, and I managed to sell my old house, though all that money went to more bills. Ugh. Anywho, I've finished moving my things and am now a proud resident of East Berlin, Pennsylvania! Alas I'm now jobless, and the bills are piling up because of my health. Fun, right? But enough about this.**

**As I'm sure you've all noticed, I've been on a bit of a Sekirei binge as of late. I've rewatched both seasons twice and read the manga to its latest chapter. And I realized something. I wanted to try my hand at a slower-paced Sekirei fic. My other three are just fine, but I wanted to make this more realistic. More character time, instead of setting him on a path and making him run it, he'll walk before he remembers what it means to sprin.**

**On that note, I should warn you. This Naruto makes the one in Counting Stars look like a tame little puppy. Why, you ask? Because unlike his Counting counterpart there's very little left to redeem here and its going to take some time. Because this Naruto isn't just old; he's batshit INSANE. You'll soon see why. **

**Anywho, I managed to put this up here at points between job hunting. A bunch of you have been clamoring for a NarutoxHaihane fic so...**

**...I give you Wings of Madness!**

_"Madness is like gravity. All it takes is a little push..._

_~?!_

**To Know a Madman**

By day Shinto Teito was bright city, filled with life and sunlight.

At night, however, when all life had withdrawn to its safe little dens, away from prying eyes, the fear came to obscure. Things once seen as safe in daylight were unsafe in the twilight. Dangerous. Towering skyscrapers became ghostly, looming silhouettes. Streets seemed to grow more narrow in the fog, every thoroughfare becoming a lonely dangerous alleyway. Even businessmen and gangsters were apprehensive about going out at night-it took a strong heart to brave the foreboding, muderous silence.

The dark city at night was a place for the desperate and the foolhardy; it was a land of swirling mystery and strange beings.

_Strange beings like me,_ Naruto thought. He stood upon the ledge that ran around the lip of the flat-roofed tower. Shadowed buildings loomed in the night below him, and these evening mists made everything seem to shift and move in the darkness. Weak lights peeked out from the occasional window, but the tiny beads of illumination were huddled, frightened things. So were those within he thought to himself, cowards who daren't venture a step out of their compartmentalized little lives.

A cool breeze skipped across the rooftop, shifting the haze, brushing against Naruto's mist-wetted, whiskered cheek like an exhaled breath. In his days past -before everything had gone so wrong- he had always sought out a rooftop on the evening after finishing the day's reports, wishing to overlook the village that he oversaw. He didn't realize he was observing his old custom this night until he glanced to the side-expecting Sakura to be there next to him as she always had been. His darling wife.

Instead, he found only the empty air. Lonely. Silent. The mists had replaced her. Poorly.

This wasn't his village. Many years ago it had been. Perhaps someday, it would be again. But not tonight.

"It's a fabulous sight, isn't it, Naruto-kun?!"

He sighed and turned at the sound of that voice, the wind tugging at his long bangs. Minaka stood behind him on the rooftop of the MBI building, grinning without a care in the world. His white garb was a glaring sight against the backdrop of the city lights. If the man was at all apprehensive to be standing at such a height, he certainly wasn't showing it. One did not get far in the cuthroat world of bussiness today without learning to stomach their own fears.

Naruto had learned to do far more than "stomach" them. He had gone among them so often during the last few years, toed the thin line between insanity and terrror so many times, that he was beginning to feel more comfortable at night, with the darkness's obscuring embrace than he did at day. That didn't change the fact that he was still a creature of the light, despite these bloodstained hands. He couldn't ignore the needs of his body anymore than he could avoid avoid the daylight.

"Come now," The founder of MBI continued, "do you _have _to stand on the ledge and sulk like that? I know my plans might be a bit crazy," and that definitely earned him a snort, "but I'd rather not have them end with you splattered across the cobblestones down there just because you were lost your footing. We've put a sizeable investment into you, after all! Besides, Karasuba-chan would be crushed should something happened to her favorite sparring partner."

Naruto almost smiled, thinking of his bedmate in the Discipline Squad. Then he frowned. _Bastard still doesn't think of me as an immortal,_ he thought._ It will take some getting used to for all of them, I suppose._

Years before, centuries really, he had become the most infamous Kage to ever grace the elemental nations, and he had done it without ever becoming a chunin. Sakura had been a jonin by then, but he...had just been a regular shinobi. The Biju-even Kurama god bless the kitsune's misbegotten soul-were gone, Sasuke was back in the village, and Uchiha Madara was dead and gone for good this time. Together-with her at his side, he had founded a peace that lasted for eons to come. The man who ended the Fourth Shinobi War and united all the nations under one banner. Tough to top that one. There was just one problem.

_He'd never died._

Everyone went right on aging without him. Growing old and dying. Watching Sakura and his five children wither away and then _their_ children, and their grandchildren and so-on and so-forth until he woke up one day to discover that the impossible had happened. He was the last of his kind. Most, if not all of his descendants were dead and gone and the world had moved on without him. The one's he _had_ tracked down weren't even the _tiniest_ bit interested in learning what he had to offer, they thought he was just some kind of freak. So building up another Shinobi nation, as he'd soon learned, was out. Before he realized it...

He was alone. And with loneliness came the madness.

For those first few fateful years he had been in an utter funk about the whole damn thing as he tried to puzzle it out; how did one man stay trapped in eternal limbo with nothing but his own massive chakra reserves and the Uzumaki blood in his veins? He'd heard of members of his clan living for centuries, but this was different. Physically, he didn't look a day over twenty. In reality he'd probably breached a thousand a couple of centuries back. There was just no change. No voices in his head to tell him what was going on, no curse laid upon him, he simply retained all of his youthful vitality and power as the years wore on, reaching a godlike plateau in terms of skill and power, eventually unlocking the Rinnegan as the years wore on. Sakura would never see what he would do with his new eyes.

But the world had.

In the end he'd become something of a recluse, really. Kept to his roots, mostly, when it suited him. Traveled a bit, stopped a few wars, killed a couple of asshats -Hitler being right up there with the worst of them- but he almost always returned to Japan. Or rather, Japan almost always returned to him. There was just something about his home that still fascinated him though, numb as he might've become. He watched and marveled as the years progressed and technology advanced, quietly mourned at the increasingly lethal ways mankind used to kill one another. In the end, he'd just grown tired of it all. No matter how many villains he'd killed, he couldn't rid the world of war, or sickness or corruption, no matter how hard he tried.

He'd nearly given up after Hiroshima.

When mankind could obliterate entire cities with the push of a button, what need did they have for _him? _He could manage well enough with his own lack of sanity, thank-you-very much.

That was _without_ the burden of relationships weighing him down. Oh, he'd had bodies to keep him warm at night, but nothing real. Not since the Blitz. Not since _she _died in a hail of gunfire. There was a reason he didn't emotionally invest himself in anything regarding the fairer sex, or at least that had been his motto until two decades ago. Yes, this was what had called him back to Japan, on this evening. Not this time. He'd spent the last twenty years of his not-inconsiderable life preparing for this, working towards a singular goal, readying everything for this moment.

_The Sekirei Plan._

It was only natural that MBI had eventually sought him out; one didn't stay under the radar long with a rap-sheet like this. Not unless you had friends. Very powerful friends. There were only so many aliases one man could think up or produce without making a mistake, a flaw that would result in the being uncovered and ultimately force them to go to ground for the next decade or so. He'd been at this art longer than most though; indeed it could even be said that he'd been the one to invent it. But somehow, someway, they'd found him.

When Minaka had approached him some twenty years ago, looking to acquire his unique "skillset" as it were, he'd flat-out rejected him. He wanted nothing to do with guarding some damn island. That had been _before_ he'd seen what said island contained, the little birds there that needed protecting. He'd been a part of things ever since. The moment he'd laid eyes on those one hundred and eight souls he knew he'd found a purpose in keeping them safe, in ensuring that they were not made into the tools Minaka had wanted them to be.

Since that first fateful day, so very long ago, he had done much. He had stood back to back with the first five Sekirei and helped them repulse entire armies; he had singlehandedly prevented the kidnapping of two little birds and butchered the squad of blithering idiots who thought they could take them and in doing so, ensured that one little bird never dissappeared. It was a subtle change, so simply, yet his eyes remained fixed firmly not upon No. 08, who continued to espouse the power of love but the Jinki; they were the key to everything.

Including his restoration of all that he'd lost. And if he risked genocide by playing the game, that only made it all the more _exciting._

"So?" he asked at last, realizing he'd been ignoring the man who signed his checks. "I know this is redundant, but you're going to say it again, aren't you?"

"But of course!" Minaka laughed, launching into a tirade without any further provocations needed. "Listen well, Naruto-kun! I'm going to tell you a story from long ago. In ancient times, the Gods lived in a land known as Takamagahara. It is said that the stone ship of the Gods once landed here, carrying their treasures. However, that is just an old story. It is merely a tired, ancient myth, unrecorded even in the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki...

The blond sighed. "Here he goes...I never understand him when he's like this...

"But the new legend begins now!" The whitehead continued merrily, dauntless in the face of the assassin's skepticism. "One hundred and eight Sekirei have been dispersed! They must fight for the Ashikabi which they have chosen for themselves. The final one remaining, shall guide their Ashikabi to the heights of heaven, where he shall obtain the faith of the world! So, let the new legend begin! The beautiful tale of war! The miraculous love story! A story in which you may finally take part, my dear boy! Are you as excited as I am?!"

...as long as my little birds enjoy this, yes." a dangerous gleam entered the sapphire skies that were his eyes. "That's why I'm here, after all."

"My, so protective! You seem to have more in common with Yume-chan than you'd like to admit!"

Naruto, the only _human_ member of the Discipline Squad-if he could even be called such given his mental state-actually cringed at those words. Yume. The one person who wouldn't leave him the hell alone, who insisted that he had the capacity to love others...despite how jaded he'd become. "Please don't tell her I said that. I'll never hear the end of it otherwise." And he wouldn't either-if she learned that he actually considered himself the respective big brother to her and all her siblings things would get real awkward for him, really fast.

"But of course!" Minaka crowed. "Your secret is safe with me!"

...you never change, do you?"

"Not at all!" He blanched only slightly when the blond withdrew a mirror from the folds of his cloak and pointed it in his direction. "Well, perhaps a little...

Minaka's hair had been black, back then. Now it was white, just like the rest of his outfit. One of the few only changes Naruto had undergone since those days had also been in terms of wardrobe. He'd taken to wearing the uniform of the Discipline Squad, cloak and all, despite the desertion of most of its many members. It was a little sad really. He was one of the few that still wore this uniform. Of the first Five Sekirei that had served as his comrades in arms, only _Karasuba_ remained.

And he hated it.

Almost everyone had gone their separate ways after Miya-chan had left. Without No. 01 there to reign the rest of them in, their little group simply fell fell apart. Then came Matsu's failed attempt to take a Jinki and her subsuquent escape. Kazehana wandering off after he'd rejected her. Then there was Mutsu being Mutsu...sneaking away one day in the middle of the night-never to be heard from again. Naruto hadn't enjoyed the idea of his comrades wandering off like that. Of course he'd tried to stop them. Naturally, they'd resisted. And so they'd parted ways.

Violently.

Even with Yume as the de facto leader of the squad, things just weren't the same.

"Oho?" Minaka was suddenly at his elbow, grinning that infuriatingly childish grin of his. "You're blushing, Naruto-kun! That excited, are you? I haven't seen you like this since Number 01-

"Not another word!"

For the first time that evening, the genius dropped his smile. Within good reason.

Naruto refused to dwell on that disaster.

Well, perhaps the departure of Number 01 _had_ been his fault, in a sense. Miya had fascinated him in the beginning, her cold aloofness proving irresistible to mess with. The first time he'd spoken to her she'd ripped his arm off and beat him over the head with it for some perceived slight against her; handing him his first true injury in a decade. He'd regenerated, of course, but the fact that she'd been able to get the drop on him with his _guard up_ spoke volumes for her ability. Truly a worthy opponent, someone who piqued his interest in the Sekirei Plan even further.

Then she'd screwed it all up by falling for him five years later.

He'd liked Miya, he really had, but he just wasn't capable of loving someone like that anymore.

So instead of accepting those feelings he'd subtly encouraged Takehito to take care her instead. The young researcher obviously liked her, and he was a sore sight better than a half-crazed immortal. Everything turned out surprisingly swimmingly. For a time it had seemed the matter of Miya would be taken off his hands entirely. Then the fool had gone and gotten himself killed by that Jinki accident just as Miya was starting to forget about him. To make matters worse, Takehito wasn't even an _Ashikabi_ so that left her unwinged as well. He had the distinct feeling that particular would be coming back to bite him on the ass sooner than he'd like.

Very soon, indeed.

Because tonight, on this night of nights, after much arguing and cajoling on Minaka's part, _he_ was to become one of these Ashikabi. Finally. It was an event he'd been dreading and anticipating for quite some time; on a fundamental level Naruto knew he would have to play the game to keep Minaka from completely having his way, yet he also relished the idea of being able to test his abilities once more, to throw himself headfirst into the fray once more, come what may. But the idea of bonding himself to another, of opening the doors of his heart that he'd long since closed...it was almost enough to make him reconsider this course of action.

This wouldn't be a simple partnership like the one he had with Karasuba. Despite all their foreplay he'd yet to lay on hand on that wicked woman-on any woman, for that matter-outside of battle for the last two decades since joining MBI. It would be something more when he became an Ashikabi. There would be feelings there that might not be entirely his once he bonded with his Sekirei. He knew full well what the bond entailed. What would be expected of him, he wondered? How would he feel?

Time would only tell.

"Then let us begin!"

Naruto groaned as Minaka performed a sudden and about-face, spinning away from him.

"Is it too late for me to back out of this?" he griped.

"Completely!"

"Can't blame a guy for trying...

Naruto quietly allowed himself to trail after a skipping Minaka and stepped into the elevator that would return them to the innermost depths of the tower; even then the whitehead was visibly bouncing on the balls of his feet and giggling in anticipation. Tch. He twas enjoying this far too much for his liking. Nothing more was said as they began their descent; any and all attempts by his employer to strike up conversation were ruthlessly cut down one after the other. Now that he'd finallys ettled on this, he wanted to get it over with.

_Ding._

* * *

_Ding_

He was coming.

She perked up the moment she heard that sound, her heart hammering against her chest. The sound of his footsteps were like hammers in her ear, the crooning call of his voice made her normally dispassionate visage twitch in a rare, genuine smile. A delicate hand pushed through her ashen hair, dark eyes widening a fraction of an inch as she heard the blond nearing her room. Scarlet stained her cheeks, blood pounding in her veins like the drums of a great hunt out for her blood. Ashi-no, Naruto wasn't her Ashikabi yet. Reaction or not.

_Maybe this time he would be?_

Clamoring up and out of her bed at the though she began to fumble in the dark, trying to make herself more presentable. There was a frenzied pace to her motions that bellied her normally slothful gait, something deep in her chest was spurring her to action and this time, it would not be denied. Somehow, someway, she knew that something was about to happen.

"Sensei...

_But what?_

* * *

_Ding._

Naruto emerged first, stepping out before the doors even finished opening, his eyes narrowing slightly as they adjusted to the fluorescent light within the labs. This was it. He was only minutes away from becoming an-_oi?!_ Blue eyes narrowed further still as Minaka bounded on ahead of him with a mad cackle, relegating Naruto to the role of follower once more.

"I'll need some time to ease into this." he warned, his tone sharping into that rough edge that was his wont; a subtle warning slipping between those words. _Don't rush me._ He wasn't about to wing Karasuba right off of the bat, he'd save that little hellion for later. Still...the more he thought about becoming an Ashikabi, the more uncomfortable he became. "One, will do." he said at last, ignoring Minaka's sudden frown, as he caught up to him. "I don't feel like dealing with a small harem right of the bat."

"Come now, Naruto-kun!" The man admonished him. "Surely can't expect to fufill your duties with only a single-

"As I said, I'll manage with one for now." he continued with a growl. "I'll wing more as the need requires; but at a later date."

"Ah, but Benitsubasa is quite smitten with you! She speaks of you all the time-

_"Later."_

"Erm...right," impossibly the CEO's grin returned in the face of that killing intent. "In that case, I have just the Sekirei for you!" he favored the blond with a conspirational wink behind his glasses. "Neh, lets surprise her, shall we?"

"I certainly hope so."

Indeed, there was one he _wouldn't_ mind bonding himself to...

"Here we are!" he gestured with an exagerrate bow. Naruto hesitated only an instant before stepping inside. He felt as if those doors were opening on more than just his partner; it felt as though a brand new chapter of his life was unfolding before his very eyes.

Well, he supposed it certainly helped that he knew _some_ of these Sekirei from firsthand experience. He was no scientist not by any means; but he had taken a vested interest in a handful of these little birds. He'd given their tuners a small sample of blood to work with during the adjustment. Some had taken to it better than others. Yume, was one such example; she'd progressed a little too well. He was convinced that their "Sekirei of Fate" possessed all of his once redeeming traits; the ability to love everyone and inspire change in others. And she was _damned persistent_ in trying to convince him he still possessed those redeeming qualities.

If Minaka tried to make him wing _her_, he'd be eating out of a tube for the rest of his life!

These Sekirei were by no means his children or any such thing; he just wanted to see things through to fruition he kept telling himself. He'd trained a sizeable portion of these little birds himself, ensured that they were up to his rigid standards before Minaka released them into the city. Thus far, only half of the one hundred and eight Sekirei had been released into the city-a dry run of sorts so as to see what might happen. Naruto felt an emotion dangerously close to pride as he thought of those little birds, the ones he'd personally trained.

And then the doors were open.

"Here she is!" Minaka bowed and stepped aside. "Have at him!"

_"!"_

Naruto's only warning was of a movement in the dark; he very nearly prepared himself for an attack at the sudden attack. Then a pair of strong arms locked around his waist, slamming his back up against the wall in a fierce vice and holding him tight, her body pressing tight against his flush to him. Unbidden he felt his throat run dry. Hers was a face he recognized almost immediately; that ashy gray hair, bandaged body, and all too tattered kimono, none of which did her curves any justise. He knew this Sekirei. She was one of the last he'd trained. His favorite student.

"Hello..." A halting, husky voice greeted his ears, her breath warm on his face as the lights snapped on. "Naruto-sensei."

"Hai...Haihane?!"

_Snick._

"Owowowow!" He hissed, cringing as a rib cracked under the force of her embrace. _"Haihane!_ What did I tell you about your strength?!" It certainly didn't help that Minaka had essentially abandoned him to his fate.

"Oh." she blinked, stepping backward with a flush. "I...forgot."

"I swear, you and Akitsu are twins!" Naruto hissssed, gasping as she released him, frowning only slightly as the door slammed behind him. "Always acting like you are!" They each had a tendency to forget the strangest things! Thanks to his blood, the the ice-wielder had been spared the fate of a Scrap Number in this game but-wait. Wait wait wait just a damned minute! Blue eyes bulged as small, delicate hands wrapped around his, a familiar face pushing itself up against his, foreheads touching, noses brushing. Lips-LIPS?!

"Sensei, please...be mine...

_'BY THE NINE!'_

That thought fell away as Haihane suddenly stepped forward-her face flushed, eyes glazed. Unbidden Naruto's legs hedged a step backward in retreat. He knew on a fundamental level what she was trying to do, Naruto did, but the idea of intimacy suddenly made him...ill. When she tried to seal the deal with a kiss, he shoved her, sending the startled Sekirei stumbling backwards. Not gently.

"Stop!"

"Sensei...!"

Poor Haihane, she flinched as though she'd been struck; looking for all the world as if someone had murdered her favorite puppy. Tears brimmed in her eyes at the sudden and unexpected rejection, threatening to well up and spill over at the sligthest provocation. As if she would bolt at any instant. Naruto was suddenly overcome with the senseless and powerful urge to rush to her side; embrace the sullen Sekirei, promise everything would be alright, and kiss all those tears away. He very nearly did just that.

"S-Stop that!" He sputtered, both at himself and the sullen girl standing before him. "Stop crying, you! Aargh! Godamnit!"

By the time he realized exactly what was happening to him-what hold she had over him-it was already too late, he'd taken hold of her shoulders and pulled her close, it was already too late. Those dark orbs did nothing more than stare as he tucked her head into his chest and held on, not trusting whatever had come over him to finish the job.

"Balls." he muttered.

Haihaned cocked her head aside toward his neck, baffled.

"What...?"

Naruto had been afraid of this, dreaded it from the onset of his decision. Sekirei were creatures of emotion. He knew that. Just being near one was enough to stir up emotions in a lesser man; even he had felt a stirring or two when he'd trained Tsukiumi and the others. This was different. It was as if she were calling to him somehow, speaking to him in a language that only he knew. For all those years of not inconsiderable experience, the shinobi was stricken by her. He had no power over his body in that instant; because she was reacting to him. And he her. It didn't make any sense. A human _couldn't-shouldn't-r_eact, and yet the longer he held onto Haihane the more certain he became.

He'd spent the last twenty years-two entire decades-watching over her and her siblings, ensuring that no outside force touched them, and that they flourished into all they were meant to be. Perhaps that was when this little ash feather had first gotten her claws into him. Literally and figuratively. She'd been such a shy, quiet little thing in the beginning. It had taken months of coaxing to even get her to talk. Now, twenty years after a chance meeting in the incubation chamber...

...here they were.

Dumbfounded, he pushed a hand up under her chin and uplifted her face to his. Her shining eyes held him. Pinnioned him. Rooted him. How could that little girl have become this drop-dead gorgeous woman? When had he missed that? This close he could feel her breasts pushing up against him, his hand cradling the curve of her waist, holding her scorching skin beneath the bandages. Haihane was warm. It was such a silly thought for him to think of, but it was suddenly there, her face blotting out all else. Her voice was there too, welling up in every corner of his mind:

_Naruto-sensei..._

Suddenly she pushed even closer to him, her face inching towards his. He didn't stop her, in fact he found himself leaning closer to her as well...then their lips touched. Wait. What in the Nine circles was he doing?! Too late, emotion roared through him and there were no words; fear, relief...eclipsed by a bliss so powerful it nearly brought a tear to his eye, a happiness more intense than anything else he'd ever experienced. It thrust a dagger of warmth into his heart, a tiny crack forming in the walls he'd erected around himself.

_Wow..._

Naruto got his very first view of her wings then, silvery streamers sharp and jagged bursting to create her crest, so much like the claws she oft wielded. They hung there for a long moment, enfolding the room, hainging over them in silent pallor. And then they were gone.

"Many years to come." she whispered, taking her lips from his to nuzzle her head against his neck.

That was the start. When his strange, insane little life changed again. It was the beinning of something weird and wonderful, wicked and wild. But little did he know...

_...it was also the end of everything._

**A/N: And there you have it! Naruto has replaced Natsuo in a sense-never really liked him to begin with-but he's far from being MBI'S dog. Nor is he at their every beck and call, obeying their every whim. In a twisted sense he feels the only way to properly watch over the Sekirei Plan as a whole is to do so from the inside, where he can do the most good. Now bear in mind, this Naruto is powerful because he's worked his ass off training, for more than a thousand years. No Kyuubi power, no cloak, no otherwordly powers save his own chakra and the Rinnegan. No voices in his head, either! **

**So lets go over the changes thus far in case some of you missed the while you were reading. Here we go:**

**Naruto has been with MBI almost from the very beginning, hence the uniform. He has yet to wing any Sekirei save Haihane...at the moment. He'll open up gradually, but the idea of being intimate with his feelings after clamming them up for so long is a new one for him. And its going to be funny as hell given who will be a part of his strange little flock.**

**Akits is NOT a scrap number in this. She's out there as an active particpant in the plan. I won't say who her Ashikabi will be!**

**Yume is ALIVE and an active participant in the plan. Musubi still exists. Kaho still exists. Their respective personalities are still intact. Yumi is like an antithesis to Naruto at this point; she believes in love an all its power but Naruto scorns the emotion and fears it, for it brings him too much pain.**

**Naruto has replaced Natsuo and bears the title of "Executioner" for his bloody deeds in the past and in the defense of MBI. He is, in a sense, emotinally broken after being alive for so long. I mean really BROKEN. He's still himself, but he's taken to the path of the Ashura, preserving as many lives as he can no matter the means. He doesn't care for humanity; if he has to butcher a dozen men to save a single Sekirei he WILL. Lets make that brutally clear. It'll take a while-and a couple of girls-for him to get back to his old self, but he won't be regretting his actions anytime soon.**

**Miya had feelings for Naruto at one point, but because our favorire blond has temporaily forsworn all relationships, he tried to pawn her off on Takehito. That backfired. BADLY. And it will come to bite him in the ass someday.**

**There, I think that covers things for now!**

**Anywho, I**** worked extremely hard on this one, so I hope to hear what you think! Pairing is up in the air! YOU DECIDE! As said before, I have a _vague_ idea who will be a part of Naruto's flock in this, but the rest its entirely up to ya'll! ****And on a final note, thank you to everyone offering emotional support in regard to my health woes. Its greatly appreciated! An awful lot is going to change in this story soon! Look forward to an epic prank next chapter...provided my health holds out.**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review...Would you Kindly? And of course, enjoy the Preivew!**

**(Preview!)**

_"You...You killed her!"_

_"No, that was Haihane." the blond chastised with a slight frown, his chin tilting in the direction of the lone Sekirei standing over Kuno's corpse. "I'd never harm one of my little birds. You, on the other hand, Ashikabi-kun...are a different story and in violation of your agreement. As per the terms of your contract you and your Sekirei were forbidden from leaving the Capital until the Sekirei Plan finished. You knew this. And yet you made the attempt to do so regardless." He gestured with his blade. "These are the consequences." All part of the plan of course._

_"M-Murderer!"_

_"Oh. That stung." He'd been called far worse back in the day. Adulterer, psycopath. Backstaber. But murderer? He hadn't heard that one in awhile..._

_"Pffft!" The Blue Sekirei snorted, somehow finding amusement in his anger. "Murderer...hehe..._

_"Haihane?"_

_...hmm?"_

_"Something's on your forehead."_

_"Uh?"_

_Unthinking, she raised a hand. A hand still clad in those cruel claws._

_Splurt!_

_"Gah! I'm bleeding!"_

_"Oh, that never gets old." smiling, he turned his attention back to the boy crouched before him. "Now for you..._

_"What're you going to do?" Haruka gulped and turned his head aside as that grave gaze settled upon him; finally realizing the mess he'd landed in. "Lock me up and throw away the key?"_

_"No." Naruto said softly. "I'm afraid that's no longer an option for you. Spare the rod and spoil the child, as they say."_

_...what?"_

_The immortal shinobi scratched the back of his head with a hand, ruefully regarding the aimless Ashikabi he'd come to apprehend. Poor little shit had pissed himself, after Haihane took out his Sekirei. And now, he was going to die. Shigi Haruka. No one special by any means, just another kid in over his head. Someone who wanted to get out because he didn't think he was strong enough. If he wanted to run, that was fine. But to take his Sekirei with him? He couldn't let such a thing stand. C__ouldn't let these escapist ideas spread to the rest of the capital and inflame the already panicky masses._

_After all, how could he watch over these little birds when they were scattered across the globe? Where the world could sink their claws into them? Corrupt them? Kill them? Oh no no no, that just wouldn't do. They were safer here, in Shinto Teito. In Minaka's grasp yes, but also where he could keep an eye on them. No, he had to pull this problem-this weed-out by the roots. And there was only one way to do it._

_It was a twisted logic yes, but it was his logic. Not Minaka's. And that, made all the difference in the world._

_"Look, kid," he continued, "I'm not a monster. I'm a shinobi. I don't just randomnly kill people. I kill people when they misbehave. Although," An almost wistful expression began to pull at his whiskered visage, __"E're oft to blame, and this is too much proved, that with devotion's visage and pious action we do sugar on the devil himself."_

_Haruka gulped._

_"What does that mean? _

_Naruto sighed and closed his eyes, palming a kunai and hoisting it high. "Spare the rod."_

_"No! Don-_

_And his weapon descended mercilessly._

** R&R! =D**


	2. To Love a Madman

**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlmen, good news and bad news. Good news first. I'm on the mend. Even better, My grandpa's all but recovered from congestive heart failure, and I managed to sell my old house, though all that money went to more bills. Ugh. Anywho, I've finished moving my things and am now a proud resident of East Berlin, Pennsylvania! Alas I'm now jobless, and the bills are piling up because of my health. Fun, right? But enough about this.**

**As I'm sure you've all noticed, I've been on a bit of a Sekirei binge as of late. I've rewatched both seasons twice and read the manga to its latest chapter. And I realized something. I wanted to try my hand at a slower-paced Sekirei fic. My other three are just fine, but I wanted to make this more realistic. More character time, instead of setting him on a path and making him run it, he'll walk before he remembers what it means to sprin.**

**On that note, I should warn you. This Naruto makes the one in Counting Stars look like a tame little puppy. Why, you ask? Because unlike his Counting counterpart there's very little left to redeem here and its going to take some time. Because this Naruto isn't just old; he's batshit INSANE. You'll soon see why. **

**Anywho, I managed to put this up here at points between job hunting. A bunch of you have been clamoring for a NarutoxHaihane fic so...**

**...I give you Wings of Madness! WARNING! We see some of Naruto's past in this...and its not pleasant. Those of you with weak stomachs are advised to look away!**

_"I do not love. Nor will I ever allow myself to be loved..._

_~?!_

**To Love a Madman**

Naruto wasn't quite sure when he realized he was broken.

It might've been sometime during the second World War. Right after Hitler started butchering the Jews and sending them to concentration camps. Yes...that, was probably it. He'd been living near Germany at the time, trying to keep himself and _most_ of his God-like proewess a secret. He thought normal life would suit back then and it almost had; for the first ten years things had gone most swimmingly. No one wanted to turn away a stranger capable of bending steel with one hand. Truth be told, it had worked rather well for those first ten years. He'd met a nice girl-her name all but forgotten to him now, settled down, married, even entertained the idea of having kids someday. Back then, he'd still had a little good in him.

Then came the Holocaust.

America had always horrified him with the depths of their depravity; he thought he'd be better off in Europe, away from their ilk.

He'd been wrong.

He daren't think back on the events that had led to the two of them being separated on that fateful day. Only that they hand and by the time he'd finally found her again...it was too late.

That was the day when Uzumaki Naruto finally gave up on the concept of love as a whole; the day he saw _her_ _head_ amongst the dead, slaughtered, like so much cattle. On that day, the last scrap of decency, that was his soul soul died. It was also the day World War Two came to grinding halt. Oh the Americans and their Allied Forces made it sound as though they had won the day in a triumphant push; when in reality the Germans simply fell apart once the saw a bloody blond holding the severed visage of their beloved leader in his hand.

Then he showed them hell.

There _was_ something good to be said about leading an immortal life; you learned many, many, _many_ ways to make your enemies suffer. Currently, Naruto practiced One Millon, Three Thousand and Sixty-Nine hundred of those methods. His favorite involved peeling the flesh of his victims away strip by painful strip, soaking them in alchohol, hanging them by their balls, and leaving the crows to feast on their eyes-toes. Hitler had died that very day, but not before experiencing the unadulterated hell that only a shinobi of a legendary calibre could produce. But he didn't stop with Adolf's death. Sometimes cutting the head of the snake was all that was needed to kill the creature; and at others, you needed to destroy the body as well. So he'd done just that.

He'd cut and culled-slashed and sliced-until the earth itself ran red with the blood of his enemies. Laughed at them when they begged for mercy, tormented others with the promise of hope by letting them get a running start before he mowed them down. Chased and hunted them like prey, thrown tanks at them, placed them Then he'd brought their families before them and killed them, too. A child of a pig was just that, after all, a pig no more and no less. _And pigs were meant to be butchered._ Right down to the last man, woman and children.

By the time he was finished, the entire _continent _was reshaped, and the virus that was The Third Reich, almost completely_...purged_. He spared one of them. One, out of the thousands of soldiers and infantrymen, pilots and bombers, anyone else who viewed this-this _slaughter_ as an act of God or justice. He didn't know why he spared that one. Perhaps on some level, he'd wanted the world to know what he'd done. Just how weak they were when compared to a God. That there was nothing on this earth made by man that he could not _unmake_ by his own hands. There was only that single Natzi left by the time the Allied Forces had arrived and no one was ever the wiser. The man had been left raving about a monster made man, a creature that ate bullets and crapped death. None believed him. And why would they?

When you could pick up tanks and _throw them _the enemy learned not to fuck with you.

Naruto had been broken ever since that horrific day, mentally and emotionally. In his mind he slowly grew to equate love with pain; the once pleasant tingle in his chest that evoked his kinder emotion still hurt when he thought about that day. If you cared for something it only hurt that much more to have it taken away. If you loved someone, would you not weep to see them perish? Would you not wail and scream when your precious person was stolen away from you by the icy grasp of cold death, never to be seen again? No, better to seal your heart off and not feel it at all, then risk the pain that came with experiencing such powerful emotions.

Because when you tried to bring them back from the grave what did they call you?

Monster.

Demon.

Abomination.

There was a reason why he'd stopped trying to resurrect the dead. Be it _Edo Tensei_ or _Rinne Tensei_, they all went mad in the end and even if they didn't, there were always those who wanted that power, the blessing to bring back a loved one. Some people-even entire governments-would go to any lengths to obtain it. The people of this world were not a stoic sort; their minds broke all to easily and when faced with the boundary of life and death, they either spurned the gift, or craved it for their own. Any chance for hapiness on his part always seemed to be scorned by karma.

And they wondered why he was insane!

Oh, he still had enough rationality to think and function on a daily basis; but his logic could be so twisted, it actually alarmed him sometimes. He was broken in all but one sense of the word; he still possessed his ironed will and determination. Yes, his heart might be a shriveled up husk where humanity was concerned, yes, he could be a bloody hypocrite at times and _yes_ he was an insufferable bastard to those he called his friends. But underneath it all-despite all the pain it had caused him as of late-there was one thing that still drove him to get up each morning-including this one-put on his uniform, grabe his blade, and go to work. Well, perhaps, he had another reason now, thanks to Haihane.

_Sekirei._

They were his redemption, Naruto reminded himself as he risked one last glance back at his bed, cinched on his coat, scrubbed the last vestiges of sleep from his eyes with a wet wash cloths and departed the small domicile he called his room. Before long the crisp sound of his boots filled his ears once more as they always and often did, his own footsteps drumming rhythmically against the hall as he made his way down to the laboratories, his destination the training zone where the pre-adjusted Sekirei often spent their mornings. Sometimes he'd find himself alone and get a good exercise in. More often than not he'd encounter another of his charges down below and end up in a sparring match.

Whatever the case, today he found himself up earlier than was his wont; the once bustling ivory halls now emoty and devoid of life. That suited him just fine.

Having spent nearly his entire career here in the tower he navigated its twists and turns effortlessly, every nook and cranny was known to him. He'd made it his personal business to memorize the building's bluprints ever since its construction so many years ago. He wasn't quite sure what made him do it; with the resources he'd acquired over his long lifetime he could just as easily acquire and build his _own tower and live in it_ as stay here. And yet he continued to linger, sticking close to Minaka and all the eggheads and all their scientific mumbo jumbo he didn't understand.

Still, he stayed.

Perhaps he liked the idea of looking out over the city. Perhaps it reminded him of happier, simpler times. Perhaps he had grown accustomed to spending nearly every waking moment here and near the labs, supervising Haihane and the others Sekirei, discipling them when they became too rowdy, training them, consoling them when their fears threatened to get the better of them. Maybe he just liked the idea being of close to Haihane and the others after all the time he'd spent with them. His little birds.

One last chance for him to do right before he dissappeared. For good this time. Whatever Minaka was plotting, it was big, and would involve a great deal of death once all was done. That was fine by him. Let the human race be obliterated. He had lost faith in them a long, long time ago. So long as his little birds remained, he didn't care.

Some might call him a monster for valuing the lives of Aliens over that of his home race. Others would think he was a hypocrite, for allowing that very race -the one over whom he'd sworn to stand guard- to push itself to extinction in an attempt to find their destined partners in Minaka's little game. But the good he'd seen in these girls on that fateful first day outstripped anything and everything else he'd ever laid eyes upon in all his years. They were flawed, yes, all mortals were, but there was not a shred of darkness in one of them, no seeds of evil that might be nurtured into trees of corruption. He knew them for what they truly were in an instant.

_Angels._

He'd been the first one to stand guard outside their ship-a silent sentinel-a vanguard against any who would do them harm. Time after time he, and then others, had pushed back invading armies, slain those who would seek to take and break these little birds for themselves. That was why he would stay. Just as he had been the first member of the Discipline Squad, so too he would be the last. So long as he was here, they might fall in battle, yes, but they would always get up again thanks to his skills. Not even death could stop him when he put his mind to it anymores...it just put a stop to everything else. The thought was almost enough to take the wind out of his sails.

After all, he was broken.

But broken or not, Naruto's senses were still sharp as ever. Even before he reached the foot of the stairs he sensed something; first in the subtle vibrations racing up and down their walls and halls, then in the grunts of pain, rhytmic sounds of fist meeting fist and metal greeting metal wafting up from the training zone below to reach his ears. Unbidden, a small smile tugged at those whiskered cheeks. The sounds of combat. Anywhere else and he would've hastened to put a stop to it. But here, it was enough to make him slow his pace and conceal his prescence.

_'Lets see what they're up to..._

Blurring the lines of his body he silently slipped into obscurity, blending in with the matte-black walls. Nothing short of heat sensors could detect him when he utilized his sensei's infamous invisibility jutsu; even then he strayed to the edge of the wall as he stepped into the grand space that was the ampitheater; the structure having tiers of seats rising gradually outward from the central open space that was the training arena, most of which lay empty as Naruto himself had expected...

...save for two.

"Hmm?"

Silver hair danced wildly with pink in the air as bodies spun, slim forms issuing smooth kicks and swift swings to each other within practiced grace. Fighting with a crimson blur that seemed to be swooping in from every side, the first combatant shot one of her arms out, impeccable poise and precision behind the strike, a clean blow that sent a few strands of pink flying away from her adversary's visage, only to dodge aside as a red fist very nearly clobbered her into next week. For a seemingly savage spar it was remarkably fluid and complex-the pair relentlessly flowed from punch to kick and vice-versa, raging back and forth with maximum force and no energy wasted. It was, in a word, masteful.

It was also hauntingly familiar.

He'd taught them this style once, long ago. Apparently they'd improved upon it since he'd seen it in action. He count no fewer than three flaws in the way they fought; last time there had been at least six. There it was again. That emotion-one felt dangerously akin to pride. Naruto stubbornly suppressed it as he watched them move, admiring, appreciating their teamwork combination, before deciding to intervene. Though they might be fighting one another, he knew at once that neither Sekirei held any killing intent for the other. But watching them had gotten his blood up...!

The Totsuga No Tsurugi seemed to sing in his hands, Miya's old blade felt red hot to the touch as he drew. Some part of him wondered why he'd held onto the damned thing. It served as a constant reminder of what he could've had with her, had accepted her feelings that day. Holding onto it hurt, sometimes. She'd thrown it at him when she'd left, after all. Perhaps he'd just chosen to be nostalgic that day and hold onto it. Maybe, not that it mattered anymore. Still wasn't quite sure when the legendary blade had become his weapon of choice, though...ah, that did it.

As if those thoughts of Miya were the lynchpin, the last vestige of Naruto's self control slipped away. Action. Fight. Now. Think later.

"Haihane!" he called, dropping the camoflauge and flinging himself foward, no longer to keep the savage smile off his face. "Benitsubasa! HEADS UP!"

All that grace and poise evaporated in an instant; both Red and Blue Sekirei colliding violently as they realized they weren't as alone in the complex as they'd first thought. And then Naruto was upon them, sword drawn and screaming down at their unprotected skulls with all the force of a typhoon. It was almost cute really, those dumbstruck expressions, watching them scramble out of the way like frightened mice in the prescence of a predator like him. Part of him wanted to cut them down just for that one. He didn't _like _feeling these emotions. They made him weak. Vulnerable. JAnd vulnerability meant being hurt all over again. Just thinking about it was enough to draw a hoarse snarl from his throat and slash down!

But the blade bit down into empty earth instead of flesh, atomizing a chunk of the floor and spraying debris in every direction.

Naruto held that position a moment, his knees bent from the force of his own blow, eyes narrow and intense as they leered into the ground. Another downside of his unique...situation. Lately he had been prone to more and more of these batshit impulses, another sign that his sanity was slowly slipping away from him. It made him aggressive as hell.

"PULVERIZER!"

"CLAWS OF EXECUTION!"

Naruto didn't even bother to dodge the attacks; he simply dropped the sword, reached out into the smoke in either direction and _pulled_. There was no application of the Rinnegan at work here. Having trained with them for years and years on end, he knew exactly where they were going to be, almost before they even realized it themselves. Fingers found flesh-wrists-and yanked down, smashing the hapless Sekirei into the ground with enough force to birth a small crater on either side of him. Their simultaneous sqwuak of surprise was music to his ears, the sweetest sound that money couldn't buy. It was also enough to snap him out of his blood rage once he realized how close he'd come to killing them.

"Good, good." he nodded, releasing them just as swiftly. "I think that's enough. You almost got me that time." Reaching down he hoisted Haihane to her feet-followed by Benitsubasa. That light touch, was all it took for the pinkette to shift out of combat mode, her earlier defeat all but forgotten as she stared up into the cold blue eyes of her teacher.

"Naruto-kun!" if she'd had a tail, it would've been wagging. "You came to see me?!"

"Yes, I suppose I did."

Despite himself, he sighed and ruffled her hair with his right hand, the smallest of smiles plucking at his lips as she nuzzled her cheek against the rough callouses of his palm. Under normal circumstances, he himself was adverse to such displays of overaffection. Benitsubasa was a very, ver special case. This girl reminded him a great deal of his beloved Sakura, in a way; right down to the color of her hair and her spitfire temper when provoked, coupled with a ruthless tendence to break anyone fool enough to actually make her angry. Give her green eyes and you'd have a miniature Haruno! Albeit a tan one.

There was just one difference. Whereas Sakura had gradually grown to love him over the years, there was none of that with Benitsuabasa. She'd practically idolized him from the beginning. Like Haihane, she had been one of the select few he'd devoted himself to training in the beginning-and it showed. Beni might not be as well endowed as the other Sekirei but underneath that kimono, her slight body was all muscle. And she had a crush on him a mile wide. It was a pity, really. If she kept pushing him, he'd have to break her heart just like Miya and Kazehana at this rate.

"Fufufufu," Haihane chuckled, taking hold of his arm. "Not your Ashikabi. Mine."

There was a silence.

_She's not wearing bandages_. Naruto nearly did a double take as he felt soft skin press up against his sleeveless arm instead of the full-body wrapping for which Haihane was usually known. Indeed, the Blue Sekirei had all but forgone her usual outfit; she wasn't even wearing her normally raggeddy uniform; in place of it she had all but replaced it with a deep black kimono. Hmm. It suited her_-GAH! Stop that! Bad Naruto! Bad! I'm not thinking about that! Not not not NOT AT ALL!"_

"Hah?!"

Benitsubasa's angry sqwuak drew him back to reality with a painful cringe.

"I...you...when?! HOW?!"

"Last...night." The normally stoic Sekirei was openly gloating now. "He gave me my wings."

Ah. Yes. That _had _happened.

At that Benitsubasa's smile turned forlorn.

"Naruto...but what about me..." she mewled, looking like a kicked kitten. "Don't I matter?"

"Ah...

God, why did he want to hug her all of a sudden?! No! No weakness! Shaking himself violently, the shinobi willed his heart to harden once more.

"Its complicated." he forced his tone to stone. "As the Discipline Squad's Ashikabi, I needed a Sekirei and Haihane offered. That's that. Unless you're reacting, it really wouldn't feel right to steal you away from the one you're destined to be with-

"But I want you to wing me, Naruto!" she tried to grab at him but even with her strength he was still her better.

"Tch...stubborn girl! Not right now!"

"Bleh!" the claw-wielder stuck out her tongue, teasingly. Then she realized what had been said. "HA?!"

"Really?!" Benitsubasa squeaked.

"Shit. Did I just say tha-

_Brrrrriiiiing!_

As fate would have it, Naruto's phone chose that very moment to ring. Oh thank God! With a glare at both girls for silence, he snatched it open.

"Moshi moshi?" He replied almost immediately, with a joviality he didn't quite feel. "This is Naruto speaking!" There was a moment of silence as his words trickled through to the other end. For another moment, no one answered; there was only a deafening silence. And then, finally:

"Aniki...

His face turned chalk white. Of all the Sekirei he'd trained, only three had taken to calling him that title. Of those three, one was currently locked in the basement. The other had sworn never to speak to him again. And the other...she was talking to him right now. There were few things on this earth that could surprise him anymore. She'd done just that.

"U-Uzume?!"

Just as he had trained several Sekirei, so to had lent his number out to several others. It was his way of making up for those he hadn't been able to train-or those whose skills simply weren't compatible with his training methods in the first place. Uzume had been one of those few, but never in all his years did he expect to hear from her again. Not after what had happened with Matsu. He'd been genuinely stung by the rustling Sekirei's betraya; helping Matsu escape-albeit without a jinki-during the beginning of the plan. He hadn't expected to hear from her since. That she was calling him now...

"What's wrong?"

"Ehehehe...I'm kinda in a little bit of trouble." Uzume sounded like she was trying, to be cheery, but he could hear it; she was on the verge of tears. "I found my Ashikabi a few weeks ago; Chiho, she's really wonderful, really...but some things happened...and...I don't have anyone else to turn to about this. And then I remembered I still had your number so..." her voice broke. "Have you heard of Higa, of the East?" If Naruto had been pale before, then now he was positively pallid. He knew that name. And if Uzume-sweet, little Uzume-was associate with someone like him...

"Tell. Me. Everything."

She told him.

Naruto's grip crunched around the phone; his fingers biting into the malleable plastic. Search. And. Destroy. Yes, that summed up his thought proccess...quite nicely. He might not be able to bring himself to love these little birds-not yet-but that didn't mean he didn't care for them like his own. In a brotherly sort of way, the way And what he'd just heard was enough to evoke a fully century's worth of fury.

"So...do you not like this?" she asked, noticing his silence, mistaking it for anger. "Are you still mad?"

"Like?"

"Like's a strong word… So is tolerate… Hate's actually looking a little weak right now." he held the phone for a long moment, considering just how many rules he was about to break here. "...Alright." he said at last. "I'll take care of it. Yeah. Don't worry. I'm not the sort to break that kind of promise, remember? No, no. I'll deal with the fallout...gah! No! Don't put Miya on! I don't care if she wants to talk to me! I...Just...See you soon!" The now-battered phone snapped shut with a resounding click, ending their terse conversation. No. A thousand times no! He'd help Uzume, but he felt that even hearing a single word from Miya would be enough to pull him back into that sandpit that was his emotions again. And he couldn't. As much as a small part of him might want to...he just...couldn't.

"The hell was that?" Benitsubasa looked none too pleased at being ignored. "A friend of yours?"

Naruto opened his mouth to reply-

-and his phone went off _again._ This time he barely glanced at it-a mail-and his blue eyes narrowed.

"I'll wing you later, Red." he said. "Duty calls. Haihane?"

"Hai?"

"Suit up."

"W-Wait a second!" Beni sputtered! "Where are you going, Naruto?!"

"To earn my keep."

Without another word he turned and strode for the exit.

_"Time for work."_

* * *

Haruka Shigi had never been so terrified in all of his young life.

Adrenaline coursed through his every vein, hastening him and his charge onward, urging him to run as hard as he possibly could. And so he did, hurtling across the bridge for all he was worth, Kuno behind him. Calls of "Stop, damnit!" and "Wait!" rang at their backs, all cignored as they sprinted for freedom. Sekirei Plan?! What a bunch of fucking bullshit! They weren't cut out for this sort of thing! They had to get out of here before a terror like that "other" Ashikabi tried to take them out again!

_"They told you to stop, kid."_

A boot crunched mercilessly into his visage, breaking his nose and catapaulting him back from whence they'd come. All that progress, erased in an instant. It all happened so fast. One moment he was moving forwards-the next, his back was biting into the gravel. Coughing, he struggled to rise but his arm wouldn't move properly. Was it broken? Shit. When he tried to move again, fate took offense. A boot slammed down on his chest, pinning him to the gravel with bone-crushinf force.

"Guh!"

"Ah?" A pair of blistering blue eyes frowned down at him. "You're still alive? Unlucky. I'm not in a good mood right now."

"N-Naruto-san?" Kuno's stuttering words sounded ahead of him. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry, Kuno." his head turned, offering a greeting. "I'm afraid this is going to hurt a little bit."

Kuno tired to move towards him but in doing so, she completely forsook the ashen terror looming over her unprotected backside, its claws raised high. Too late, he realized what was about to happen. But even then he couldn't speak, couldn't get the words out fast enough to warn her, tell her to run, run, RUN-

"KUNO!"

One swat of her claws and it was over. His girl stood there a moment, her eyes wide, as if she simply couldn't understand what had happened. She tried to turn-swat. Another blow put her down for good, tearing a trio of deep gouges into her already battered back. Then she toppled forward, the light leaving her eyes. Even then, even as she fell, she was still looking at him, still speaking his name.

"Haruka...sama..."

Mercifully, Naruto took his foot away. Almost immediately, the brunette clamored to her fallen form.

"You...You killed her!"

"No, that was Haihane." the blond chastised with a slight frown, his chin tilting in the direction of the lone Sekirei standing over Kuno's corpse. "And she isn't dead. at least she won't be, soon. I'd never harm one of my little birds. You, on the other hand, Ashikabi-kun...are a different story and in violation of your agreement. As per the terms of your contract you and your Sekirei were forbidden from leaving the Capital until the Sekirei Plan finished. You knew this. And yet you made the attempt to do so regardless." He gestured with his hand, indicating the broken body over which The Blue Sekirei stood guard. "These are the consequences."

"M-Murderer!"

"Oh. That _stung."_ He'd been called far worse back in the day. Adulterer, psycopath. Backstaber. But murderer? He hadn't heard that one in awhile...

"Pffft!" The Blue Sekirei snorted, somehow finding amusement in his anger. "Murderer...hehe...

"Haihane?"

...hmm?"

"Something's on your forehead."

"Uh?"

Unthinking, she raised a hand. A hand still clad in those cruel claws.

_Splurt!_

"Gah! I'm bleeding!"

"Oh, that never gets old." still smiling, he laid eyes upon Kuno. Sapphire snapped into violent violent, the rimmed swirls of the Rinnegan regarding her battered body. He'd meaent every word when he'd sworn never to break his little birds. A swift application of medical chakra closed the wounds dealt by his beloved Blue, another tugged her soul back from the brink. His chakra flared, all of his powers building up into a single usage of his abilities, stemming forth as he pressed his hands together, palms clenched.

_"Gedo: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu!"_ As he intoned the name of his most sacred and unholy technique, the earth around him began to shake. Haruka squawked in shock as he stumbled, just barely managing to catch himself before he fell to the ground. And sitll the earth quaked

"W-What the hell is going on?!"

Seconds later a large figure rose from the rubble of the destroyed street. It was an ethereal and demonic looking head that rose from a purple border just to the left of Naruto. Benitsubasa screamed in shock as the giant head with the large, gaping mouth rose up from the ground like some demon rising from the underworld. Naruto beckoned with a hand and a tiny green light emerged from its mouth, leaping out of the void to plunge into the Sekirei's broken body, suffusing it with emerald light. Moments passed. Seconds. And then.

And then:

She coughed. All part of the plan of course.

"K-Kuno!" Haruka cried! "What did you do to her?! Wha-urk!"

_Damn but that guy punched hard!_

"I brought her back, you little shit!" The Executioner glowered down at him. "You should be thanking me!"

"What're you going to do with her?!"

"We'll take her back to MBI." Naruto continued coldly, stepping between them once more. "She's no longer a part of Minaka's game without her crest. If you had played this game like a good little boy you _might've_ been reunited with her. But I'm afraid I can't allow that. Anyone who would threaten the sancity of my little angels, is not worthy of one. Basically, she's been un-bonded to you. Meaning your death won't result in hers. Now, Shigi-kun," frowning, he turned his attention back to the boy doubled over before him. "What to do with you...

"What're you going to do?" Haruka gulped and turned his head aside as that grave gaze settled upon him; finally realizing the mess he'd landed in. "Lock me up and throw away the key?"

"No." Naruto said softly, his scowl deepening as Hahaine delivered a swift blow to Kuno's head, sending her back to the land of slumber once more. "I'm afraid that's no longer an option for you. Spare the rod and spoil the child, as they say."

...what?"

The immortal shinobi scratched the back of his head with a hand, ruefully regarding the aimless Ashikabi he'd come to apprehend. Poor little shit had pissed himself, after Haihane took out his Sekirei. And now, he was going to die. Shigi Haruka. No one special by any means, just another kid in over his head. Someone who wanted to get out because he didn't think he was strong enough. If he wanted to run, that was fine. But to take his Sekirei with him? He couldn't let such a thing stand. Couldn't let these escapist ideas spread to the rest of the capital and inflame the already panicky masses.

After all, how could he watch over these little birds when they were scattered across the globe? Where the world could sink their claws into them? Corrupt them? Kill them? Oh no no no, that just wouldn't do. They were safer here, in Shinto Teito. In Minaka's grasp yes, but also where he could keep an eye on them. No, he had to pull this problem-this weed-out by the roots. And there was only one way to do it.

It was a twisted logic yes, but it was his logic. Not Minaka's. And that, made all the difference in the world.

"Look, kid," he continued, "I'm not a monster. I'm a shinobi. I don't just randomnly kill people. I kill people when they misbehave. And that's exactly what you've done," An almost wistful expression began to pull at his whiskered visage, "E're oft to blame, and this is too much proved, that with devotion's visage and pious action we do sugar on the devil himself."

Haruka gulped.

"What does that mean?

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes, palming a kunai and hoisting it high. "Spare the rod."

"No! Don-

And his weapon descended mercilessly-

It never made it.

Naruto realized too late he'd fully committed himself to the slash-it was only as the gale slammed into his unprotected flank, ripping into his sword arm as though it were made of paper. Pain. Blood. These were his first and only thoughts as his boots bit into the pavement of the bridge and flew free; ungrounded in spite of the chakra he'd used to stick himelf in the instant. Haihane was suddenly there catching him-her hold surprisingly light in spite of the claws adjourning her hands-aiding him in his short-lived flight across the bridge.

"Sensei...

"I'm fine." Naruto muttered, his eyes snapping into violet. "Just a scratch."

Haihane didn't seem to agree on that one; she looked as though she were about to tear into whomever had

"My, haven't you gotten violent lately." a new voice crooned, a pair of familiar high heels alighting only yards away. "I thought I'd come see what all the fusss was about, and who do I see? An executioner trying to add another head to his mantle. For shame, Naruto."

"I could say the same thing about a drunkard butting in where she doesn't belong...

Naruto frowned, his dark eyes turning dangerous, his blade an inch away from inflicting immeasurable pain on his victim. He caught sight of dark eyes and darker hair, her violet-clad boy stirring every so slightly within the breeze, a bottle of sake in hand. She was smiling.

...Kazehana." he finished with a frown. "Are you with this brat?"

"Do you think I'd let myself be winged by someone like that?" came the reply. "Sorry, Ashikabi-kun." she apologized with a soft smile. "You're just not my type."

Poor Haruka looked as though he were about to keel over out of sheer fright. "N-None taken..."

Naruto sighed, straightening.

"I suppose not. In that case, what business do you have here?" he made a shooing motion with his hand. "Either come back to the Discipline Squad and fufill your duty, or go get yourself an Ashikabi. I don't have time to play with you right now." He glanced down at Shigi. "And don't think I've forgotten about you-

His arm snapped up, deflecting another blow of wind into the bay.

"Ara, but I thought I was speaking to you, my Ashikabi?"

_"Kazehana."_

"I'm not budging on this, Naruto-kun." a hard glint entered her eyes. "You may act like we abandoned you, but the truth is, you pushed us away one by one. First Miya, then Matsu, and Me. And what _of_ Miya? Have you even _talked_ to her since Takehito died? Were you there to dry her tears?"

Naruto grimaced. His silence was telling. "...I did not foresee that event."

"I see." At that Kazehana's smile turned sultry, and she strutted towards her prey seductively, swaying her hips all the while. He almost gulped when she pressed herself against him and slowly traced a finger down his jaw, pulling his gaze to her vibrant bright eyes, hooded darkly in lust. "And where were you to dry mine?"

"Enough!" Naruto jerked himself back. "We are _not_ doing this! Not a second time!"

"Very well then, Naru-kun." she replied, using his old pet name as she kicking up another breeze. "I'll make a wager with you. If you really want to change my mind, then...

...do it with your own two hands!"

_Then all his world was wind._

**A/N: And there you have it! Naruto has replaced Natsuo in a sense-never really liked him to begin with-but he's far from being MBI'S dog. Nor is he at their every beck and call, obeying their every whim. In a twisted sense he feels the only way to properly watch over the Sekirei Plan as a whole is to do so from the inside, where he can do the most good. Now bear in mind, this Naruto is powerful because he's worked his ass off training, for more than a thousand years. No Kyuubi power, no cloak, no otherwordly powers save his own chakra and the Rinnegan. No voices in his head, either! **

**So lets go over the changes thus far in case some of you missed the while you were reading. Here we go:**

**Naruto has been with MBI almost from the very beginning, hence the uniform. He has yet to wing any Sekirei save Haihane...at the moment. He'll open up gradually, but the idea of being intimate with his feelings after clamming them up for so long is a new one for him. And its going to be funny as hell given who will be a part of his strange little flock.**

**Akits is NOT a scrap number in this. She's out there as an active particpant in the plan. I won't say who her Ashikabi will be!**

**Yume is ALIVE and an active participant in the plan. Musubi still exists. Kaho still exists. Their respective personalities are still intact. Yumi is like an antithesis to Naruto at this point; she believes in love an all its power but Naruto scorns the emotion and fears it, for it brings him too much pain.**

**Naruto has replaced Natsuo and bears the title of "Executioner" for his bloody deeds in the past and in the defense of MBI. He is, in a sense, emotinally broken after being alive for so long. I mean really BROKEN. He's still himself, but he's taken to the path of the Ashura, preserving as many lives as he can no matter the means. He doesn't care for humanity; if he has to butcher a dozen men to save a single Sekirei he WILL. Lets make that brutally clear. It'll take a while-and a couple of girls-for him to get back to his old self, but he won't be regretting his actions anytime soon.**

**Miya had feelings for Naruto at one point, but because our favorire blond has temporaily forsworn all relationships, he tried to pawn her off on Takehito. That backfired. BADLY. And it will come to bite him in the ass someday.**

**There, I think that covers things for now!**

**Anywho, I**** worked extremely hard on this one, so I hope to hear what you think! Pairing is up in the air! YOU DECIDE! As said before, I have a _vague_ idea who will be a part of Naruto's flock in this, but the rest its entirely up to ya'll! ****And on a final note, thank you to everyone offering emotional support in regard to my health woes. Its greatly appreciated! An awful lot is going to change in this story soon! Look forward to an epic prank next chapter...provided my health holds out.**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review...Would you Kindly? And of course, enjoy the Preivew!Also, the next chapter for Die Another Day _is _coming out soon-I've already got well more than Four thousand words and I just want to live up to your grand expectations, is all =D**

**(Preview!)**

_There are some situations no one wants to get into. Be they armed kidnappings, looking down the business end of a blade, or perhaps face to face with an angry and apathetic immortal; generally, that consensus was around the same no matter who was being asked. On the other end of this strange spectrum however, are such situations some might give their left __arm_ to escape_ from. Such as an armed, weapon-wielding immortal who didn't give two shits about exterminating the human race to achieve his goals._

_Higa Izumi found himself in such a situation._

_Blood. Everywhere. _

_It coated the walls. Stained the ceiling. And then there were the bodies. Corpses. Everywhere. Tossed asside as though they were rag dolls, torn apart, some shredded beyond recognition. And there, lying in the corner-his face frozen in the last moments of indescripable agony-_

_Kakikzaki. His best friend looked as though he had suffered great before perishing. His killer __cocked the man's ruined head aside, smiling._

_"Such fragile creatures," he mused. "They can't stand up to any sort of punishment, can they?"_

_"Who are you?" he growled. "What have you done to my staff? Do you honestly think that you will get away with this-_

**_Pressure._**

_The man floored him with a glance, one look into those rippling, violent violet eyes was enough to force him onto his hands and knees-it was like standing in the prescence of an angry deity. One that had just judged all of your staff and your best friend and found them...wanting. One that found you equally wanting._

_"Higa Izumi, I take it?" when he could not bring himself to reply, the blond lessened the pressure, allowing him to breathe. "I understand you are the Ashikabi of the East. Such a laudable title. Ashikabi of this, Ashikabi of that. But titles only matter when you have the power. Tell me, Higa-kun, do you believe yourself to be a powerful man? Of course you do." he pressed on before the pharmecutical heir could answer. "You believe the status of your company gives you power. You believe yourself safe. Untouchable; thinking yourself above the game. Above the rules-_

_A flash of silver was the man's only warning. Then he was screaming. Roaring in agony, clutching at the once severed stump that had been his right arm, vicious viscera staining his pristine white suit. Naruto sheathed his blade, blue eyes hard like angry winter skies._

**_"You are not."_**

_Higa choked, eyes bulging with pain. "You won't get away with this...!_

_"Ah, but my dear Higa-kun, I already have__...Kochou also said as much...before I liberated her."_

_"What?!"_

_"Don't worry." came the cryptic smile. "She's safe; she's seen the light. But you my dear man...are still fumbling in the dark."_

_"Enough of your riddles! What do you want?!"_

_"Why, I'm so glad you asked!"_

_"I understand you've been blackmailing one of my girls." Impossibly, the blonde's grin grew. "Uzume-chan, as it were. Now then-I could go on and on about how such things are frowned upon by my employer, but you wouldn't care about that now would you? So as such, I am here to liberate her Ashikabi. Chiho Hidaka will now be taken into custody of MBI and given the treatment she so desperately deserves. That is already a fact, Higa-kun. Whether you allow me to take her quietly, or resist...that depends on you. To be frank, I'd rather you resisted." he finished with a shrug, fingers wrapping around the long, heavy hilt of his weapon. "It gives me an excuse to...play. Don't bother calling your Sekirei. I've already broken their connection with you. My little birds are free to find their proper Ashikabi, as they were always meant to. You, however..._

_Chuckling, Naruto drew the Totsuga No Tsurugi._

_"...are free to learn the Seven Sins of Suffering!" _

** R&R! =D**


	3. To Kiss a Madman

**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlmen, good news and bad news. Good news first. I'm on the mend. Even better, My grandpa's all but recovered from congestive heart failure, and I managed to sell my old house, though all that money went to more bills. Ugh. Anywho, I've finished moving my things and am now a proud resident of East Berlin, Pennsylvania! Alas I'm now jobless, and the bills are piling up because of my health. Fun, right? But enough about this.**

**As I'm sure you've all noticed, I've been on a bit of a Sekirei binge as of late. I've rewatched both seasons twice and read the manga to its latest chapter. And I realized something. I wanted to try my hand at a slower-paced Sekirei fic. My other three are just fine, but I wanted to make this more realistic. More character time, instead of setting him on a path and making him run it, he'll walk before he remembers what it truly means to sprint.**

**On that note, I should warn you. This Naruto makes the one in Counting Stars look like a tame little puppy. Why, you ask? Because unlike his Counting counterpart there's very little left to redeem here and its going to take some time. Because this Naruto isn't just old; he's batshit INSANE. You'll soon see why. **

**Anywho, I managed to put this up here at points between job hunting. A bunch of you have been clamoring for a NarutoxHaihane fic so...**

**...I give you Wings of Madness! WARNING! We see some violence and gore in this...and its not pleasant. Those of you with weak stomachs are advised to look away!**

_"What's the point of bonds for a broken man..._

_~?!_

**To Kiss a Madman**

Naruto very nearly choked on his own spit when Kazehana decided to attack.

It wasn't out of any sort of fear that he recoiled. The idea of fighting one of his little birds was as abhorrent to him as kissing Uchiha Sasuke a second time. And if you knew Uzumaki Naruto, that was fairly high up there in terms of animosity. More than once he'd nearly broken one of them during training, uncertain of what their limits might be. There was none of that fear now; he knew Kazehana could endure roughly three quarters of his full strength and emerge unscathed, so long as he worked to blunt his blows.

_That was the problem._

He knew of a thousand ways to make her stop. Problem was, none of them were permanent. No-there were only two ways to make her cease and desist immediately and both galled him to the rotten core that he called his soul. He had to kill her, or kiss her. _Damnitalls, but he didn't want to do either._ Of course flinging her halfway across the city was always an opition, but with her complete command over all things wind, he somehow doubted he'd be able to toss her very far before she came flying back again. Haihane was out of the equation as well; Kazehana was in a completely different leage and would probably have her deactivated in a minute.

So when she attacked, intead of dodging, he took it head on. Weathered it, standing stock still as that wall of hypersonic wind roared forward and struck him-

Right in the face.

He let his body fly, allowed gravity and momentum to exact their painful toll and send him lsprawling backwards. Felt his neck snapped against the pavement with a painful crunch. A starburst of pain ribbed through his body, easily outweighed by other, sharper aches as he tumbled head over heels across the ground. Finally he came to a skidding, halting stop, the torn skin of his face slowly mending, knitting itself back together as his soul recognized that there was damage and charged his chakra with mending all his wounds.

"Sensei_...eeep?!"_

Poor Haihane nearly jumped out of her skin as the broken body of her Ashikabi twitched.

"Okay, ouch." Naruto sat back up with a grunt, eliciting a slight yelp from the silver-haired Sekirei. With a hiss, he took hold of his disbarred head and gave a mighty heave, violently wrenching his visage back into place with an en effort and a mighty _pop._ A silence passed between them. Right. Immortal. Unable to die. God that was a bitch and a half sometimes. Nothing short of outright decapitation seemed to slow him down anymore and even that felt more like an impediment nowadays than anything else.

"Are you...alright?" the claw-wielding Sekirei asked, looking torn between helping him up and tearing into the one who'd attacked him in the first place.

"Fine, just fine...

"Whatever is the matter, Naruto-kun?" Kazehana cooed, smiling at his disheveled state. Now Naruto was truly ready to spit. She knew full well about his 'situation' and hadn't held anything back. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. On some level he probably deserved it, considering how many hearts he'd broken in the Sekirei Plan. Didn't they understand? He physically wasn't capable of love anymore. He was broken. Distorted, in every sense of the word. Even his winging of Haihane was nothing but a means to an end; a way in which he might watch over his little birds and ensure their own happiness. The happiness he was never meant to have-destined to never know.

Naruto stood woodenly, injuries quietly knitting themselve back together.

"You know damn well!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kazehana declared solemnly, her full lips pulling upwards in a slight smile. "But if you knew what _I _was, you'd be a changed man." Okay, now she was actually having _fun_ with this crock of bull. "It might be best for you to just surrender, and do your best to live up to my expectations."

"And if I don't?" he challenged.

"Why, I'll just have to make you." she told him, though it was in a tone that distinctly lacked heat.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen."

Kazehana said nothing more to that effect; because she didn't have to. Her actions spoke for her. She struck like a serpent with blinding speed, yelling her determination and giving her body the sharp, savage counter-twist that made her kicks so blindingly fast and powerful. She wasn't one to indulge in close combat often, but when she did, she was a force to be reckoned with. Nothing short of Number One could possibly hope that they could endure that kick-

It never landed.

Naruto's palm shot up, caging her ankle in hand without a second glance.

_"Ouuch." _He sighed at her failed attempt to do him further harm, his pupils dilating as increased adrenaline began to pump through his system, his visible eye crimson. Bright, with bloodlust. His teeth gleamed with a wolfish light in the shadow of his ragged locks, his lips parting for an almost amused hiss as he held her back through sheer strength alone. And then, to Kazehana's infinite disbelief, he started to laugh. Slowly at first, a step here, gaining an inch there. Slow. Inexorable. And although the wielder of the winds did struggle and strain against him, in the end, it was all for naught.

With a twist of the wrist he released her, bodily flinging the former member of the Discipline Squad aside. She twirled away effortlessly, alighting only a few yards out. She was smiling he realized, her cheeks bright and flushed, her breath coming in short, delighted gasps and_-aargh!_ She was actually enoying this! Getting off on it! Not that he could blame her, given that she was reacting to him but still! The very realization that he had been played-and quite admirably at that-

"You know what?" when he spoke his voice as an angry, throaty rasp. "I think I should congratulate you. You finally managed to do it."

"Do what?" she sounded genuinely surprised by the deady hiss in her trainer's tone.

_**"Piss me the hell off."** _With that statement, his body vanished in a swirl of wind, his favorite element to wield.

So did hers.

"Crap!" Haihane yelped as the world exploded into a swirling malestrom, wind warring against wind with a furious shriek.

They raged back and forth across the bridge like a force of nature, laying waste the world around them with their own private war. Wind versus Wing. Man against Woman. Time and time again Kazehana thought she had him; time and time again the blond proved her wrong, either by slipping out of her grasp, or simply dancing away. Whenever she tried to flee, whenever she sought to seek higher ground, the shinobi would drag her and down-again his superior strength and speed inevitably thrusting them into combat once more, forcing the incorrible madman to continue this futile struggle. And yet despite this, no blood was drawn on either side, she realized.

Almost as though they were _toying_ with each other.

Not because of any old sentiment-nay not out of any feelings for one another. It was anger that drove them, or in Kazehana's case, emotion. Years of repressed feelings went into each and every one of her blows, the sharp sting of rejection could be felt in her every action. She'd loved him once. Perhaps she still did. Naruto fought furiously to ignore it, just as he fought to restrain himself and not obliterate her in a single blow. The tempation was there but he resisted, ignoring the desire-the need-to strike down this woman who stirred his heart so.

And so they pounded out their aggression onto and against each other, visible only as a series of uncoordinated flashes of random colour even to each other as the light rays hitting their bodies were smashed aside by their impossibly-fast attacks and manoeuvres, utterly uncaring for what was laid to waste around them. Tornadoes tore through the city and formed waterspouts in the rivers. Hurricane force winds ripped through the downtown, savaging man and buildings alike. More than a few Sekirei and their respective Ashikabi were caught up in that spiralling chaos, their fragile lives coming dangerously close to the point of being no retrun as the twin titans took their frustrations out on one another.

Finally, Naruto could take it no more. Derranged though he might be, disenfranchised with humanity though he was, he couldn't stomach the thought of losing any of his little birds to a battle that could have otherwise been avoided on his part. Each instant of their suffering tore at his heart, jagged shards of pain stabbing through his concsiosness. No more. It was time to make a decision. For all her talk of love and that odd bollocks, Kazehana had been right about one thing. He'd sooner flay himself alive than see the Sekirei needlessly suffer.

"Enough!" he barked, scowling when Kazehana ignored him. "I said enough, godamnit! You win! We're going to ruin everything at this rate!"

"Of course, Naruto-kun." she smiled, her voice rising over the wind. "Anything for you."

A word was all it took for Kazehana to stop; with her resistance gone his own element dissolved, finally ending the stormy stalemate created by their respective elements. The citizens of Shinto Teito were left wondering just what had caused such a phenomenon, what could've summoned up a storm of that calibre and then dispersed it just as quickly.

"I won!" Kazehana squealed as she landed, utterly deligthed with her victory.

"Only because I let you...don't get so full of yourself, girl." Naruto alighted angrily upon the now ruined bridge, his chest rising and falling harshly with breath. Using his full power wasn't a problem. Holding back against someone like Kazehana? Different story. He risked a quick glance over his shoulder at Haihane, cringing only slightly at what he saw.

"Guh," The Blue Sekirei groaned, clutching to the bridge rail for dear life as her head spun lazily. "I think...I'm gonna be sick."

"Ah...sorry about that." he called.

Haihane's only response was to vomit into the river.

"Oh, Naruto-kun" a voice whispered saucily. "I hope you haven't forgotten about me?"

"Wish I could." he muttered blackly.

Even as he turned Kazehana's hands found his face-cupping his visage and slowly drawing it to her own. His first instinct was to punch, to lash out and push her away. He stubbornly quashed it. Just this once. It wasn't because he cared, he told himself. His feelings had nothing to do with this, he lied at himself It was either this or kill her, and that notion was even more detestable than what he was about to do.

"I've waited so long for this moment." she whispered, her supple fingers tracing whiskered cheeks with infinite care, as though he might shatter into a dream at a moment's notice. When he did not she stepped forward and with great care, lowered her lips to his.

"Wait." Naruto clucked in barely restrained agitation, stopping his old comrade in her tracks as his fingers touched her neck in restraint. "I have one condition. If we do this-if I become your Ashikabi, you're coming back to the Discipline Squad with me. I hope you understand what that means. You'll have to resume your all of your old responsibilities, drunk or not." To her good credit Kazehana hesitated only slightly, the tiniest glimmer of indecision entering those dark orbs. In a sense, he almost hoped she would refuse; because the idea of opening his heart even a fracition of an inch terrified him beyond belief. As such, he was completely unprepared for her answer; a throaty moan that sent the sharpest shiver shooting down his spine.

"Yes."

Her face lurched forward as her mouth met his with a painful ferocity, the enamel of their teeth clashing together with a loud click. His grip loosened on her throat as it slid down over her collar bone and onto her ample breasts. Kazehana took this opportunity to twine her hand with his behind his back. The taller man staggered slightly at the intimate touch, but quickly stepped forward and allowed her lips to claim him once more. This was only a brief struggle, he soon gave in and began feverously returning her kiss. As much as he might fear the concept of love he was still a man, and a man had his desires.

_Finally. You're mine. And I'm yours._ thoughts and emotions flooded him as the bond flourished, bright, translucent wings bursting from her back as her crest was born. They were paler than Haihane's, seeming to ripple with wind, vanishing even as he looked on. They were brilliant, he thought. Majestic. Beautiful. A part of him even wanted to see them again and again and again-

_Then_ she got playful with her tongue.

"Okay," Naruto jerked backwards, flinching slightly at the hurt, pained expression he found waiting for him there. "Are you satisfied now?" hed meant to growl at her, but somehow, he just couldn't get the rancour into his words. Something in her visage inexplicably brightened at his lackadasial response, immeidiately setting him on edge all over again. Kazehana was a wily one, he knew, but this sudden smile didn't have anything to do with a plot to get him in bed and have her way with him. He soon realized why, just as he discovered the reason she was preening.

Because they were still holding hands.

"Urk."

"Very." she purred, trailing a finger across his chin as she turned away, uncaring as he hurriedly released her hand. She moved to Haihane, taking hold of the motion-sick Sekirei and slinging her over her shoulder. An old, familiar wink greeted his concerned visage.

"We'll see you at home, Naruto-kun." With a swirl of wind she was gone, and Haihane with her. Naruto was left standing there, his mouth frozen in a half-reply. A muscle jumped in his jaw.

"Yeah, sooooo looking forward to that. Godamn women...

Muttering crossly to himself, the Executioner vanished in golden flicker of Hiraishin.

He did, after all, have a promise to keep.

* * *

_"Boo."_

Toyotama started slightly, as a flash of yellow interposed itself between her and her sparring partner, Ichiya. Both women straightened imperceptibly when they recognized the black figure materializing before them, his blue eyes hard and angry. They cared deeply for their beloved Higa-sama but their feelings for this man came dangerously close to trumping even that time-honoured bond with their Ashiakbi. This 'broadsword-wielding bufoon' as their master had oft called him, was responsible for every ounce of skill they had and the one who had drilled their powers into them with ruthless precision.

They owed him much. But why was he here?

"Naruto-sensei?" the greenette blinked, her earlier aggression falling to the wayside in the prescence of her old mentor. It had been many months since they'd last met, but he hadn't changed a bit, she realized. He was dressed for war as always, armed and armored to the teeth. There was a hard look in his eyes, one that they knew all too well. And the fact that he'd chosen to come here, in Higa Pharmecuticals-well it didn't bode well for either of them. Realizing what was about to happen and recognizing the impending look of violence in their teacher's eyes, the harlequin swiftly recovered her voice.

"What're you doing here?" Ichiya asked, her gaze also straying to the man's weapon.

"Just keeping a promise." he smiled benignly, placing a hand on the latter's shoulder. "Say, how would you girls feel about taking a vacation?"

Toyo blinked, baffled. "A...

...vacation?" Ichiya finished, disbelieving. What the devil was he talking about?

"Precisely," impossibly, he smile grew. "You girls should take a break, find yourelves a nice Ashikabi and settle down. Within the city limits of course. Can't have you running away just because your Ashikabi's a dick."

The pair blanched quietly at the mention of their current partner. Higa wasn't the best Ashikabi, nor was the most loving, or even the kindest...wait, why were they with him again? For a human, such thoughts would've been treasonous, but for a Sekirei, the bond was paramount. Whomever their Ashikabi was, they were bound to him. For better or worse.

In that light, the spear-wielder was the first to recover. "You know that's not possible."

"For anyone but me, it would be." came the answered reply. "Now, I'm going to have to put you under for this, just like I did the others. Please, don't resist."

Despite herself and the implicit trust she placed in this man, Toyotama bristled slightly. Others? What had he done to the others?!

"What're you-

Too late, Naruto waved a hand across Ichiya's eyes and she crumpled like a leaf.

"Sensei!" She exclaimed! "Why are you-

Still smiling, he turned towards her. Even as she thought to look away, that black plam filled her vision. Somewhere in the back of her mind, everything went dark. There was suddenly the sensation of falling, of being caught, lowered gently to the floor. The last thing she heard were those words, crooning to her softly.

_"Sleep, my little bird..."_

* * *

There are some situations no one wants to get into. Be they armed kidnappings, looking down the business end of a blade, or perhaps face to face with an angry and apathetic immortal; generally, that consensus was around the same no matter who was being asked. On the other end of this strange spectrum however, are such situations some might give their left arm to escape from. Such as an armed, weapon-wielding immortal who didn't give two shits about exterminating the human race to achieve his goals.

Higa Izumi found himself in such a situation.

Because there was blood.

_ Everywhere._

It coated the walls. Stained the ceiling. Pooled in puddles on the floor. Dripped incessantly from shattered windows. It was everywhere and everything and the sheer _stench _of it nearly made him gage. And then there were the bodies. Corpses. So many corpses. Tossed away and aside as though they were rag dolls, torn apart, some shredded beyond recognition. And there, lying in the corner-his face frozen in the last moments of indescripable agony...

Kakikzaki.

His best friend looked as though he had suffered greatly before perishing; his body lay riddled with dozens of holes and most of his fingers and toes were missing, visage tiwsted in inexplicably agony, mouth frozen in a silent scream. He had not gone quietly, suffering horribly before finally succumbing to his wounds.

His killer cocked Kaki's ruined head aside, smiling.

"Such fragile creatures, these humans," he mused softly, those eerie and bleak words trickling through that half-mask he wore. "They can't stand up to any sort of punishments, can they? The tiniest bit of pressure and they start to crack, a little more and they begin to break. Push a little harder and "snap!" they fall apart like an old toy. Its funny, really. You lot were made of harder stuff in my time." With a final wrench he turned the head aside, allowing the body to finally slump to the foor.

"You say that as if you're not human." Higa hissed his own anger finally getting the better of him.

A bone-dry laugh greeted those words.

"Boy, I haven't been human for a long, long time." the figure moved then, exposing himself to the light. "You, however...

Despite his own metnal fortitude, Higa very nearly wet himself. The man crouched before him was garbed in black from head to toe, the only defining feature being his bright, burning purple eyes. If it was possible for ice to burn it would've been in this man, this silent stalker who wore a giant blade bolted to his back, his arms still slicked with the life fluids of Kakizaki and the rest of his company. His very body was spattered in the stuff as it were, the still-wet droplets indicating this slaughter had taken place very recently. Recently indeed.

"Who are you?" he growled, gulping slightly when the man began to turn towards him. "What have you done to my staff?"

"I think that's quite obvious, don't you?" came the equally dry response. "They're dead. Gone. Liberated from this mortal coil."

"Do you honestly think you'll get away with this-

**Pressure.**

The man floored him with a glance, one look into those rippling, violent violet eyes was enough to force him onto his hands and knees-it was like standing in the prescence of an angry deity. One that had just judged all of your staff and your best friend and found them...wanting. One that found you equally wanting.

"Higa Izumi, I take it?" when he could not bring himself to reply, the blond lessened the pressure, allowing him to breathe. "I understand you are the Ashikabi of the East. Such a laudable title. Ashikabi of this, Ashikabi of that. But titles only matter when you have the power. Tell me, Higa-kun, do you believe yourself to be a powerful man? Of course you do." he pressed on before the pharmecutical heir could answer. "You believe the status of your company gives you power. You believe yourself safe. Untouchable; thinking yourself above the game. Above the rules-

A flash of silver was the man's only warning. Then he was screaming. Roaring in agony, clutching at the once severed stump that had been his right arm, vicious viscera staining his pristine white suit. Naruto sheathed his blade, eyes hard like angry winter skies.

_"You are not."_

Higa choked, eyes bulging with pain as he sank to his knees, his breath coming in furious, strangled yelps . "You won't get away with this...!

"Ah, but my dear Higa-kun, I already have!" the masked man cackled. "Funny...Kochou also said as much...before I liberated her."

"What?!"

"Don't worry." came the cryptic smile. "She's safe; she's seen the light. But you my dear man...are still fumbling in the dark."

"Enough of your riddles! What do you want?!"

"Why, I'm so glad you asked!"

"I understand you've been blackmailing one of my girls." Impossibly, the blonde's grin grew. "Uzume-chan, as it were. Now then-I could go on and on about how such things are frowned upon by my employer, but you wouldn't care about that now would you? So as such, I am here to liberate her Ashikabi. Chiho Hidaka will now be taken into custody of MBI and given the treatment she so desperately deserves. That is already a fact, Higa-kun. Whether you allow me to take her quietly, or resist...that depends on you. To be frank, I'd rather you resisted." he finished with a shrug, fingers wrapping around the long, heavy hilt of his weapon. "It gives me an excuse to...play. Don't bother calling your Sekirei. I've already broken their connection with you. My little birds are free to find their proper Ashikabi, as they were always meant to. You, however, you rapacious little shit, you who would toy with the feelings of my little birds, you who would blackmail them to achieve your own recchid goals, you...

Snarling, Naruto drew the Totsuga No Tsurugi.

_"...are free to learn the Seven Sins of Suffering!" _

* * *

_Tap-Tap-Tap._

Chiho blinked, her eyelids fluttering open as a soft knock resounded on the door. To her room. Strange, why had she fallen asleep so suddenly? Rising she glanced at the clock in her room, momentarily alarmed to find that she had been out for nearly two hours. It was odd, really. Everything had been deathly quiet for the last hour beforehamd, and then she'd suddenly gotten so _sleepy_, despite resting most of the last day. She must have fallen asleep at some point...

_Tap._

"Come in," her voice was the most naked of whispers. Frowning, she pushed herself up on her elbows, cringing slightly as her weak body protested at the movement.

...hello."

She started softly as a hulking figure in black swung the door open with a soft creak and eased himself through. There was not a drop of blood to be seen anywhere on him, not the slightest of scarlet stains on his body, but somehow, someway, Chiho knew he had _something_ to do with the appalling silence in the hospital. And was that a _sword_ on his back? His every step carried a transient grace, one that should've set her on edge yet instead left her feeling oddly at ease. In her heart she knew this man could slaughter her seven ways to sunday, and yet

"Pardon the intrusion," the man tugged down his mask, exposing a whiskered visage and a warm smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "You wouldn't happen to be Chiho by any chance, would you?"

"W-Who are you?" she stuttered out, her voice sounding like a mouse squeaking as she shrank back beneath the sheets. "A-Are you a friend of Uzume-chan?"

Naruto felt his icy heart melt, just a little, as he laid eyes on Chiho Hidaka. Her body was slight and frail, yet there was a certain beauty to be said for that fraility. He could see what Uzume saw in this girl. And for all he had forsworn such feelings, a small part of him was heartened to see it.

It was a strangely nice feeling, actually.

"Yes," He answered at last, his words soft and tender as he took her hand in his own, palm wreathed in healing chakra. "I'm a very good friend of Uzume-chan's. The best, you might say. She sent me to collect you." He hadn't been lying when he said that she would getting MBI medical attention; he'd simply neglected to mention that he would be the one providing it. A simple touch was all it took to diagnose the harmful virus in her veins-another eradicated it, and a third swiftly set to work repairing the damage that had been done.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked. Odd, everything was getting blurry...sleepy...so sleepy...

"I'm taking you somewhere safe, Chiho." he replied, laying a hand over her face, ushering her once more into the sweet bliss of sleep.

"Where...

_"Home."_

* * *

"Somebody asked for an Ashikabi?"

Uzume's brown eyes lit up as he stepped through the doorframe of Maison Izumo, a gorgeous white, toothy grin streaking across her mouth as she saw her Ashikabi perched upon his back. No. No way! Disbelief warred with hope in her mind, clashing with the latter harsly before being overcome. If this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up. She'd been lingering in the lobby ever since making that fateful phone call, trying to decide whether or not she should actively seek Naruto out.

Then the door had flung itself open and revealed him.

"Yo." Naruto grinned, rolling his shoulders slightly so as to better hold her slumbering partner. "It's been awhile, Uzume."

Gasping, sobbing in her relief, she stood and ran-bolted to him like a child welcoming her father home from a long business trip. Naruto could only stand dumbfounded as her lithe form slid gracefully across the room to him. Had she always been so beautiful? Why had he never noticed that the girl he'd dutifully trained and watched over was this sexy, curvaceous woman? Had the past years changed her? Sure her hair had grown out a little, but she otherwise looked the same as she always had.

Except drop-dead gorgeous.

"Ooof!" the breath rushed out his lungs in a mighty whoosh, the sudden tackle attack nearly jostling Chiho off his back. Uzume didn't seem to notice. "Okay, okay OKAY! I'm happy to see you, too! Now please oh please stop ctuching my ribs!"

"I freaking love you, _Anikiiiiii!"_ She wrapped her arms around his neck with a squeal. Still in his state of shock, it took Naruto a moment to react and place his own arms around the waist of the Sekirei. He buried his face in her neck, momentarily enjoying the warmth of her tan skin on his cheeks and the smell of her hair in his nostrils. He felt her arms tighten around him and her breathing quickened, her breasts heaving up and down against his chest.

After almost a full minute, they pulled away from one another, his light bluye eyes looking deeply into hers. She wore a subtle expression of amusement on her face as she returned his gaze, her grin turning slightly devious as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered, pulling away. "Thank you for healing my Chiho."

"Yeah, no problem." Naruto muttered, feeling his face flush as he handed off the slumbering Ashikabi in question. "I promised I'd help you, didn't I?" Uzume nodded, absently stroking the now sleeping face of her dear partner, careful not to stir her. Then she smiled.

Another curious gleam shone in those orbs.

"You know, I'm half-tempted to bang your brains out for this."

Naruto sputtered, cheeks coloring in a rare blush. She'd always been a kidder when she was younger, but this...?

"Don't you have an Ashikabi?"

"Hehehe, I'm sure she wouldn't mind sharing...

"Look, I appreciate the thought but I really need to get out of here before Mi-

_Speak of the devil and she shall appear._

"Ara, I'm fairly certain lewd acts are prohibited in Maiso_-oh."_ a soft voice, so accustomed to chastisement, suddenly fell silent. Naruto froze. Rooted to the ground. He didn't want to turn but some eldritch force presured him to do so anyway. A pair of dull, red orbs met his, wide with shock ahd surprise

"Whatever do we have here?"

Naruto gulped.

"Hey...

...Miya...

**A/N: Dun-Dun-Dun! Naruto and Miya finally meet after all these years! Whatever will happen?!**

**And there you have it! Naruto has replaced Natsuo in a sense-never really liked him to begin with-but he's far from being MBI'S dog. Nor is he at their every beck and call, obeying their every whim. In a twisted sense he feels the only way to properly watch over the Sekirei Plan as a whole is to do so from the inside, where he can do the most good. Now bear in mind, this Naruto is powerful because he's worked his ass off training, for more than a thousand years. No Kyuubi power, no cloak, no otherwordly powers save his own chakra and the Rinnegan. No voices in his head, either! **

**So lets go over the changes thus far in case some of you missed the while you were reading. Here we go:**

**Naruto has been with MBI almost from the very beginning, hence the uniform. He has yet to wing any Sekirei save Haihane...at the moment. He'll open up gradually, but the idea of being intimate with his feelings after clamming them up for so long is a new one for him. And its going to be funny as hell given who will be a part of his strange little flock.**

**Akitsu is NOT a scrap number in this. She's out there as an active particpant in the plan. I won't say who her Ashikabi will be!**

**Yume is ALIVE and an active participant in the plan. Musubi still exists. Kaho still exists. Their respective personalities are still intact. Yumi is like an antithesis to Naruto at this point; she believes in love an all its power but Naruto scorns the emotion and fears it, for it brings him too much pain.**

**Naruto has replaced Natsuo and bears the title of "Executioner" for his bloody deeds in the past and in the defense of MBI. He is, in a sense, emotinally broken after being alive for so long. I mean really BROKEN. He's still himself, but he's taken to the path of the Ashura, preserving as many lives as he can no matter the means. He doesn't care for humanity; if he has to butcher a dozen men to save a single Sekirei he WILL. Lets make that brutally clear. It'll take a while-and a couple of girls-for him to get back to his old self, but he won't be regretting his actions anytime soon.**

**Miya had feelings for Naruto at one point, but because our favorire blond has temporaily forsworn all relationships, he tried to pawn her off on Takehito. That backfired. BADLY. And it will come to bite him in the ass someday.**

**There, I think that covers things for now!**

**Anywho, I**** worked extremely hard on this one, so I hope to hear what you think! Pairing is up in the air! YOU DECIDE! As said before, I have a _vague_ idea who will be a part of Naruto's flock in this, but the rest its entirely up to ya'll! ****And on a final note, thank you to everyone offering emotional support in regard to my health woes. Its greatly appreciated! An awful lot is going to change in this story soon! Look forward to an epic prank next chapter...provided my health holds out.**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review...Would you Kindly? And of course, enjoy the Preivew!Also, the next chapter for Die Another Day _is _coming out soon-I've already got well more than Four thousand words and I just want to live up to your grand expectations, is all =D**

**(Preview!)**

_"Mikogami Hayato. Heir to the Mikogami family. Ashikabi of the South. Possesor of several Sekirei at this time. You've lived a sheltered life with few friends until the beginning of the Sekirei Plan. Your first Sekirei was a comrade of mine, Mutsu. You appear to have acted accordingly by the rules...until now. Are you prepared for your punishment?"_

_"W-Who are you?" Hayato quivered._

_"Me? Why, I'm your friendly neighborhood Executioner of course! What else would I be?" Naruto chuckled blackly, hefting his blade wityh bleak intent as he towered over the quivering brat-deprived now of his Sekirei. This boy had dared to try and steal one of his little ones, a child no less. It had been a pure coincidence that he'd consented to take a walk with Takami and Kusano into the aboretum, chosen to enjoy the outdoors this day rather than coop himself up inside and lament what he'd lost._

_It was a decision he did not regret. Kusano lay safe in slumber, protected in the elder Sahashi's arms thanks to his intervention._

_Because this arrogant little shit had tried to take her. Her! HIS! Just the sight of him, lying there in the grass, pissing himself wasn't enough, no, he needed to be punished, to learn the error of his ways. And what way better than by the blade? Yomi already lay a few yards away, rendered insensate by a single blow. Alas, her Ashikabi would be suffering many, many more before the day was done. Naruto didn't plan to kill him, not a bit; because what he had planned for this pompous prick was a fate far worse than death._

_"Sorry," he apologized, not meaning a word of it. _

_"S-Sorry for what?"_

_Behind the mask, his grin grew._

_"I'm going to have ta cut you a bit, boy."_

** R&R! =D**


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